Transcript Chapter 33 Restructuring the Postwar World, 1945–Present

Chapter 33
Restructuring the Postwar World,
1945–Present
The United States and the Soviet Union
vie for superiority, and both countries
extend their control over other nations.
Section 1: Cold War: Superpowers Face Off
Section 2: Communists Take Power in China
Section 3: Wars in Korea and Vietnam
Section 4: The Cold War Divides the World
Section 5: The Cold War Thaws
Section 1: Cold War: Superpowers
Face Off
The opposing economic
and political
philosophies of the
United States and the
Soviet Union lead to
global competition.
Section 1: Cold War: Superpowers
Face Off
Allies Become Enemies
Yalta Conference: A Postwar Plan
• In February 1945, British, American, Soviet leaders meet at Yalta
• They agree to divide Germany into zones of occupation when WWII
ends
• Soviet leader Stalin agrees to allow free elections in Eastern Europe
Creation of the United Nations
• June 1945, 50 nations form United Nations—international
organization
• All members represented in General Assembly; 11 on Security
Council
• Five permanent members have Security Council veto power
Continued Allies Become Enemies
Differing U.S. and Soviet Goals
• U.S. and Soviets split sharply after WWII ends
• U.S. is world’s richest and most powerful
country after WWII
• Soviets recovering from high war casualties,
many destroyed cities
Eastern Europe’s Iron Curtain
Soviets Build a Buffer
• Soviets control Eastern European countries after World War
II
• Stalin installs Communist governments in several countries
• Truman urges free elections; Stalin refuses
• In 1946, Stalin says capitalism and communism cannot coexist
An Iron Curtain Divides East and West
• Germany divided; East Germany Communist, West Germany
democratic
• Iron Curtain—Winston Churchill’s name for the division of
Europe
United States Tries to Contain Soviets
Containment
• Containment—U.S. plan to stop the spread of communism
The Truman Doctrine
• Truman Doctrine—U.S. supports countries that reject communism
• Congress approves Truman’s request for aid to Greece, Turkey
The Marshall Plan
• Much of Western Europe lay in ruins after World War II
• Marshall Plan—U.S. program of assisting Western European
countries
• Congress approves plan after Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia
Continued United States Tries to
Contain Soviets
The Berlin Airlift
• In 1948, U.S., Britain, France withdraw forces from
West Germany
• Their former occupation zones form one country
• Soviets oppose this, stop land and water traffic
into West Berlin
• West Berlin, located in Soviet occupation zone,
faces starvation
• U.S., Britain fly in supplies for 11 months until the
blockade ends
The Cold War Divides the World
The Cold War
• Cold War—struggle of U.S., Soviet Union using means short
of war
Superpowers Form Rival Alliances
• In 1949, U.S., Canada, West European countries form NATO
• NATO—North Atlantic Treaty Organization, defensive
military alliance
• In 1955, Soviets, Eastern European nations sign Warsaw
Pact alliance
• In 1961, Soviets build Berlin Wall to separate East and West
Berlin
Continued The Cold War Divides the
World
The Threat of Nuclear War
• Soviet Union explodes its first atomic bomb in 1949
• U.S. and Soviet Union both develop more powerful
hydrogen bomb
• Brinkmanship—policy of willingness to go to the edge of
war
• Increasing tensions lead to military buildup by U.S. and
Soviets
The Cold War in the Skies
• In 1957, Soviets launch Sputnik, first unmanned satellite
• In 1960, Soviets shoot down American spy plane, increasing
tensions
Section 2: Communists Take Power in
China
After World War II, Chinese Communists defeat
Nationalist forces and two separate Chinas
emerge.
Section 2: Communists Take Power in
China
Communists vs. Nationalists
World War II in China
• Mao Zedong—leads Chinese Communists against Japanese invaders
• Jiang Jieshi—leader of Chinese Nationalists in World War II
• Nationalist and Communist Chinese resume civil war after WW II
ends
Civil War Resumes
• Economic problems cause Nationalist soldiers to desert to
Communists
• Mao’s troops take control of China’s major cities
• In 1949, People’s Republic of China created; Nationalists to Taiwan
The Two Chinas Affect the Cold War
The Superpowers React
• U.S. supports Nationalist state in Taiwan, called Republic of
China
• Soviets and China agree to help each other in event of attack
• U.S. tries to stop Soviet expansion and spread of
communism in Asia
China Expands under the Communists
• China takes control of Tibet and southern Mongolia
• India welcomes Tibetan refugees fleeing revolt against
Chinese
• China, India clash over border; fighting stops but tensions
remain
The Communists Transform China
Communists Claim a New “Mandate of Heaven”
• Chinese Communists organize national government and Communist
Party
Mao’s Brand of Marxist Socialism
• Mao takes property from landowners and divides it among peasants
• Government seizes private companies and plans production increase
“The Great Leap Forward”
• Communes—large collective farms often supporting over 25,000
people
• Program is ended after inefficiency leads to crop failures and famines
Continued The Communists Transform
China
New Policies and Mao’s Response
• China, Soviet Union clash over leadership of Communist movement
• Strict socialist ideas are moderated, Mao reduces his role in
government
• Red Guards—militia units formed to enforce strict communism in
China
The Cultural Revolution
• Cultural Revolution—movement to build society of peasants,
workers
• Red Guards close schools and execute or imprison many intellectuals
• In 1968, Chinese army imprisons, executes, or exiles most Red
Guards
Section 3: Wars in Korea and Vietnam
In Asia, the Cold War flares into actual wars
supported mainly by the superpowers.
Section 3: Wars in Korea and Vietnam
War in Korea
A Divided Land
• 38th parallel—line dividing Korea into North Korea and South Korea
Standoff at the 38th Parallel
• In 1950, North Koreans invade South Korea with Soviet support
• South Korea requests UN assistance; 15 nations send troops
• Douglas MacArthur—leads UN forces against North Koreans
• North Koreans control most of peninsula when MacArthur attacks
• Half of the North’s army surrenders, the rest retreat
Continued War in Korea
The Fighting Continues
• UN troops push North Koreans almost to Chinese border
• Chinese send 300,000 troops against UN forces and capture Seoul
• MacArthur calls for nuclear attack and is removed from command
• In 1953, cease fire signed and border established at 38th parallel
Aftermath of the War
• North Korea builds collective farms, heavy industry, nuclear weapons
• South Korea establishes democracy, growing economy with U.S. aid
War Breaks Out in Vietnam
The Road to War
• Ho Chi Minh—Vietnamese nationalist, later Communist leader
The Fighting Begins
• In 1954, French surrender to Vietnamese after major defeat
• Domino theory—U.S. theory of Communist expansion in Southeast
Asia
Vietnam—A Divided Country
• International peace conference agrees on a divided Vietnam
• Ngo Dinh Diem—leads anti-Communist government in South
Vietnam
• Vietcong—South Vietnamese Communist guerillas fighting against
Diem
The United States Gets Involved
U.S. Troops Enter the Fight
• In 1964, U.S. sends troops to fight Viet Cong, North Vietnamese
• U.S. fights guerilla war defending increasingly unpopular government
• Vietcong gains support from Ho Chi Minh, China, Soviet Union
The United States Withdraws
• War grows unpopular in U.S.; in 1969, Nixon starts withdrawing
troops
• Vietnamization—Nixon’s plan to withdraw U.S. from war gradually
• Last U.S. troops leave in 1973; South Vietnam overrun in 1975
Postwar Southeast Asia
Cambodia in Turmoil
• Khmer Rouge—Communist rebels who take control of Cambodia in
1975
• They slaughter 2 million people; overthrown by Vietnamese invaders
• In 1993, Cambodia adopts democracy, holds elections with UN help
Vietnam After the War
• Saigon renamed Ho Chi Minh City; Vietnam united as Communist
nation
• About 1.5 million people flee Vietnam, some settling in U.S., Canada
• In 1995, United States normalizes relations with Vietnam
Section 4: The Cold War Divides the
World
The superpowers support opposing sides in
Latin American and Middle Eastern conflicts.
Section 4: The Cold War Divides the
World
Fighting for the Third World
More Than One “World”
• Third World—developing nations; often newly
independent, nonaligned
Cold War Strategies
• U. S., Soviet Union, China compete for influence
over Third World
• Back revolutions and give economic, military,
technical aid
Continued Fighting for the Third
World
Association of Nonaligned Nations
• Many countries, like India, want to avoid
involvement in Cold War
• In 1955, Indonesia hosts Asian, African leaders
who want neutrality
• Nonaligned nations—independent countries
not involved in Cold War
Confrontations in Latin America
Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution
• Fidel Castro—leads revolt in Cuba against dictator
supported by U.S.
• By 1959, Castro in power, nationalizes economy, takes U.S.
property
• In 1961, Castro defeats U.S.-trained Cuban exiles at Bay of
Pigs
Nuclear Face-off: the Cuban Missile Crisis
• In 1962, U.S. demands removal of Soviet missiles in Cuba
• Soviets withdraw missiles; U.S. promises not to invade Cuba
• Cuban economy is left dependent on Soviet support
Continued Confrontations in Latin
America
Civil War in Nicaragua
• Anastasio Somoza—Nicaraguan dictator supported by
U.S.
• Daniel Ortega—leads Sandinista rebels who take
power in Nicaragua
• U.S. and Soviet Union both initially support Sandinistas
• Sandinistas aid Communist rebels in El Salvador
• U.S. helps anti-Communist Contras in Nicaragua to
assist El Salvador
• In 1990, Nicaragua holds first free elections; Sandinistas
lose
Confrontations in the Middle East
Religious and Secular Values Clash in Iran
• Shah Reza Pahlavi embraces Western governments, oil
companies
• Iranian nationalists overthrow shah, seize British oil
company
• U.S. restores shah to power, fearing Soviet encroachment
The United States Supports Secular Rule
• Shah Reza Pahlavi westernizes Iran with U.S. support
• Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini—Iranian Muslim leader; lives
in exile
• In 1978, Khomeini sparks riots in Iran; shah flees
Continued Confrontations in the
Middle East
Khomeini’s Anti-U.S. Policies
• Islamic revolutionaries hold American hostages in Tehran (1979–
1980)
• Muslim radicals take control in Iran, increasing tensions with Iraq
• Iran, Iraq fight 8-year war; U.S. aids both sides, Soviets help Iraq
The Superpowers Face Off in Afghanistan
• Soviets invade Afghanistan, help Communist government against
rebels
• Muslim rebels fight guerilla war against Soviets with U.S. weapons
• U.S. stops grain shipments to Soviet Union; Soviets withdraw (1989)
Section 5: The Cold War Thaws
The Cold War begins to thaw as the
superpowers enter an era of uneasy
diplomacy.
Section 5: The Cold War Thaws
Soviet Policy in Eastern Europe and China
Destalinization and Rumblings of Protest
• Nikita Khrushchev—leader of Soviet Union after Stalin dies (1953)
• Khrushchev condemns Stalin; Soviets, West can peacefully compete
• Citizens of Soviet-controlled governments begin protesting
communism
• Khrushchev sends Soviet military to put down Hungarian protesters
The Revolt in Czechoslovakia
• Leonid Brezhnev—Soviet leader after Khrushchev—represses
dissent
• In 1968, Warsaw Pact troops block reforms in Czechoslovakia
Continued Soviet Policy in Eastern
Europe and China
The Soviet-Chinese Split
• In 1950, Mao and Stalin sign friendship treaty, but
tensions grow
• Chinese and Soviets each want to lead world
communism
• Khrushchev ends economic aid and refuses to
share nuclear secrets
• Soviets and Chinese fight small skirmishes across
the border
From Brinkmanship to Détente
Brinkmanship Breaks Down
• Brinkmanship cause repeated crises; nuclear
war a constant threat
• John F. Kennedy—U.S. president during the
Cuban Missile Crisis
• Lyndon Johnson—president who increases
U.S. involvement in Vietnam
Continued From Brinkmanship to
Détente
The United States Turns to Détente
• Vietnam-era turmoil fuels desire for less confrontational
policy
• Détente—policy of reducing Cold War tensions to avoid
conflict
• Richard M. Nixon—U.S. president who launches détente
• Détente grows out of philosophy known as realpolitik
• “realistic politics”—recognizes need to be practical, flexible
Nixon Visits Communist Powers
• Nixon visits Communist China and Soviet Union, signs SALT I
Treaty
• SALT—Strategic Arms Limitation Talks—limit nuclear
weapons
The Collapse of Détente
Policy Changes
• Nixon and Gerald Ford improve relations with Soviets and
China
• Jimmy Carter has concerns about Soviet policies but signs
SALT II
• Congress will not ratify SALT II due to Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan
Reagan Takes an Anti-Communist Stance
• Ronald Reagan—anti-Communist U.S. president takes
office in 1981
• Increases military spending, proposes a missile defense
program
• In 1985, new Soviet leadership allows easing of Cold War
tensions